Hurricane Joaquin is Coming: This Would Be an Excellent Time to Purchase, Check, or Upgrade Your Backup Plan!

Hurricane Joaquin will most likely hit the Mid-Atlantic area, and it will likely destroy some data in some way.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic area, MacMedics clients and friends should unplug their computers and remove and store backup hard drives in a dry place if you’re not going to be around when the rain and wind hits us.
Power surges via power lines and lightning hits via Comcast’s network seem to be the leading cause of damages to our client’s Macintosh computers.
Pro Tip: When disconnecting your computer system from power, unplug everything attached to your network, even the COAX cable from your cable or satellite box as that appears to be #1 surge source (based on past repairs). In regards to power surges, if your power DOES goes out (or starts to flicker), disconnect from power, as surges can also occur when the power comes back on as well!
This might also be a good time to enhance your back up plan by adding an off-site back up. MacMedics hosts Crashplan for our customers. If you’re interested in having us host your off-site backup, just call us at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS.
For our friends and clients in the Mid-Atlantic region, MacMedics recommends that you back up your hard drive via a “clone” use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as that way you can “test” your back up to insure you have a good, bootable copy.
Take that back up put it in a Ziploc bag and have it ready to go with you, if you should need to evacuate. Also, hurricanes bring the rain with them, so plan ahead to protect your computer AND your back up. If you have to leave, put a garbage bag over your computer. If you have a light roof leak, that might be enough to save your computer.
The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:
1. Automatic
2. Redundant
3. Off-Site
Here is the official Federal Emergency Check List for businesses:
• Conduct a room by room walk-through to determine what needs to be secured
• Obtain plastic to cover electronic equipment in the event of roof leakage
• Move electronic equipment away from windows
• Elevate electronic equipment off of the floor in the event of flooding
• Back-Up your systems and if possible store your back-ups off site
• Protect business records
• If you plan on being out of your business for an extended period, consider shutting down unnecessary electric breakers in the event of power surges
• If possible shut off gas valves leading into the business
• Consider alarm systems may not function during extended power outages.
• Remove valuables and cash to a safe location
• Move company vehicles to an area safe from flying debris and falling trees. Make arrangements with nearby parking garages to house vehicles if possible
• Remove expensive items from display racks, particularly near windows.
• Consider window breakage
• Understand your insurance policy and keep it in a safe location
• If you have a number of employees, establish a phone tree to distribute information
Here’s a few more tips from MacMedics:
1. If you do not have Ultra Call Forwarding, be sure to forward your business phone lines to your cell phone BEFORE you lose phone and/or power to your phone system.
2. Your alarm system should contain a small back up battery, but you can extend that greatly, by plugging your alarm system into a high capacity UPS system.
3. If your server is not set to Auto Restart after a power failure, it’s not to late to turn that on.
We have tons of posts on Time Machine and we even have a free White Paper on it If you’d like a copy, let us know. If you’re not using an automatic backup, your data is at risk!
P.S. If you are going to be where the hurricane is, then you DO need to go get a Ziploc bag right now, and put it with your iPhone. That way if you get caught outside or you’re checking out the surf at the beach, your iPhone is protected.